Since microorganisms are so very small, the detection of their presence in a food sample is challenging at best, even when present at levels in the thousands to millions of cells per gram or milliliter of a food product or rinsate or on an equipment surface. The detection and quantification of microorganisms in food and food processing begins with the ability of the method to move (or remove) the microbes from the food (or surface) to the detection system. The methods by which microorganisms are removed or detached from a food or surface are quite varied.